A Captive Mind
by Yugiyasha96
Summary: Pharaoh Atem's spirit was trapped for five thousand years inside the Millennium Puzzle before Yugi finally released him. What did he experience during all that time and how did he feel when the chains of darkness were finally broken by the light that set him free? My take on what his thoughts might have been. I hope you enjoy! Rating to be safe. Please review!


Darkness

All was darkness. Every corner of his mind was absolutely consumed by endless black. His thoughts were black, his emotions were black, in fact he was beginning to wonder if he was nothing more than a black mass of nothingness trapped inside this equally black tomb.

He wondered how long he had been here. The memories of past events from when he was alive were slowly fading away as the darkness consumed more and more of his being. He felt as though his memories of then had been clear at one point and that had helped him cope with his imprisonment now. Yet as he tried to think back to what had trapped him here, he encountered nothing but a black maze of uncertainty that had, quite unrealized by him, managed to swallow every memory of himself from when he existed in a world filled with light. Now even his memories had dissolved into blackness and he was now left wondering when he would be swallowed completely by the darkness as well and cease to exist.

Somehow that last thought frightened him. He felt as though he still had something to do, some mission he had to complete, some side of him that he had to join with again to become a whole being once more. He could not remember what, but he remembered impressions of importance burned upon his very soul. Whatever it was he had to do, he had to be victorious. He could not let it win. But he could not face it now, not from here. He had to wait, wait for the light to be restored to his life and free him from this oppressive blackness that wanted to swallow him whole.

And so he waited.

And waited.

And waited

Every second he fought back the darkness that wanted to consume him. He held on to the few memories he left, impressions really, not even images. It became his whole being: fight the darkness, wait for the light; fight the darkness, wait for the light. An endless cycle that felt almost as consuming as the darkness he was fighting against.

Time had lost all sense of meaning for him. He didn't even attempt to count the days he had been fighting to hold onto himself in this prison. In fact, at that moment, he did not even know that there was any way to measure such an endless thing as time. There was no change in this tomb, no brightening by day and no deepening darkness by night. All was just a single monotonous black that wanted nothing more than for him to submit and let it take away what remained of himself. The lure was more than appealing. He felt the tug of restfulness on his weary spirit that could be his if he would just stop fighting. But the thought stabbed him with the same cold fear that had drove him to take up this fight in the first place. A fear that if he submitted now, everything he had done thus far would be vain and he would be failing in his mission. Thus, he struggled on and continued to wait.

Suddenly, he began to sense a change, though everything had remained the same in his black prison. No light penetrated the blackness in which he resided. No sound broke the complete silence. And yet, something felt different. He was not in the same place he been for endless time. On some physical plane he had been moved, but from where and to where he did not know. Nothing had changed but he still knew something was happening. Something different, that had not ever happened since being trapped in this prison, was occurring. It renewed his spirit to have _some_ kind of change to his endless days of wearying struggle.

The sense of travelling across an unseen place finally stopped and he was still yet again. He would not be discouraged though. Something had happened. Something had renewed his spirit and if now he had to wait a bit more, what was the difference? He had waited what he assumed was lifetimes upon lifetimes. What was a few more?

It was hardly another lifetime that he had to wait. Seemingly no time passed before change happened once again. Someone had him! Someone who was supposed to be in possession of him. Someone who felt like a part of himself. His spirit vibrated with excitement and longing. Somehow, he knew the long wait was over. He had endured. He had succeeded. What would happen now, he didn't know but he eagerly anticipated every coming second instead of dreading it.

The person handled the pieces of his shattered spirit so very carefully. He assumed he must be very broken for it took this new person a long time to begin to figure out how to piece him back together. But then one day the first two shards came together properly.

For the first time in ages a beam of light broke into his black prison and began to push back the darkness. His excitement was so great it almost became painful. He felt the walls of his tomb weakening and he pressed himself against the crack that had opened to allow in the light. As his spirit touched the beam, a dust of pure darkness blew from his spirit and he saw himself begin to take shape again. He was no longer a mass of chaotic blackness, but he had a form, a shape, an order to himself. Desperate for more of the glorious light, he clawed at the crack in his prison walls, trying to widen it even just a little bit more. The wall was solid and slick from this side, however, so he had no choice but to press as much of himself into the light as he could and wait for his savior on the other side to put more of him together and give him more light.

He did not have to wait long at all. Once the first two pieces came together, more seemed to follow immediately and beams of beautiful light shattered the darkness of his prison. With each new beam came the reminder of a different happy emotion he had long since forgotten. Love, joy, kindness, friendship, excitement, anticipation, and so many more that he couldn't begin to describe came flooding through him as the pit of blackness that had so long tried to swallow him, was now being swallowed by the magnificent light.

Finally, only one piece remained. One last shard of his spirit and then he would be completely surrounded by light and set free from this prison. He felt the person tremble with excitement, just as he was, as the final piece slid into place with a soft click.

And the chains fell away.

He leapt from his prison for the first time in lifetimes and wrapped himself around this beautiful, beautiful being of light that had finally set his mind free from the torment of years upon years of fighting darkness. He could once again see the outside world through this person's eyes. He saw the thing that held him captive for so long. It looked to be an upside-down pyramid made of solid gold. Lines covering the entirety of the object told just how many pieces it had been in before this person replaced them all. An impressive feat in his opinion.

Memories began swirling around him as he merged with this person's very mind and soul. They were not his memories but rather those of this person who had set him free. He learned that the name of his rescuer was Yugi and that he was a young boy with a deep love for life. More memories of Yugi's past flew quickly all around him. Most were happy, pure, and innocent, but he quickly discovered that even this being of light was not unaffected by darkness. Memories of many lonely and sad times flew around him as well as images of cruel beatings from laughing people who somehow found it enjoyable to cause others pain.

A deep protectiveness arose inside him as he gazed at those dark times and he knew then how he could repay this pure being for giving him back his freedom. He would make sure no one ever hurt Yugi again. He would protect this person from any evil that arose and keep his gorgeous light intact and unchallenged.

Quietly, he melted back into the golden object that had once been his prison, but felt far more inviting now that it was consumed with light. He was now able to see just how much damage the darkness had done to his mind in the years he had been trapped. The maze of darkness he had felt remained as now a maze of endless doors and stones. His memories were trapped in this place and he would have to work hard to get them back again. It would certainly be a task to occupy his time when Yugi did not need his help.

He did not want to make his presence completely known just yet. The boy might be frightened by knowing that another being now had access to his thoughts and soul, especially after the storm of light beams that had erupted from the golden pyramid as his spirit had been released. He felt a storm of emotions coming Yugi already, shock, fear, a bit of curiosity. No, the time was not now to show himself completely. But he would still be here, guarding and protecting this wonderful person who had given his back his freedom.

As he gazed around the maze of his mind, he noticed one door seemed to be pulling him toward it, beckoning him to come inside. Curious, he stepped up and opened the door. It led into a small hallway that separated him from one single door. He opened it too and found himself in what looked to be a child's bedroom. Toys and games were strewn across the floor and an unmade bed with cheerful coverings sat in the corner. The room reverberated with innocence and he quickly realized that this room housed the soul of Yugi just as the maze on the other side of the hall housed his soul. He realized that he and Yugi had become connected when that last piece of the golden pyramid slid into place. They were themselves, but one at the same time. It was beyond comforting to know that this source of life-giving light would not simply disappear and leave him alone in the dark yet again.

With a soft sigh of relief, he curled up on the bed in this joyous room and finally, for the first time in millennia, let his spirit rest.


End file.
